Learning Theories

Learning Theories

Behaviorism

Major Theorists: Thorndike, Tyler, Taba, Bruner, Dewey, Bobbitt, Charters, Pavlov, Watson, Guthrie, Hull, Tolman, Skinner

Major Characteristics: Altering the environment to elicit change, relationships consist of a stimulus and a response, behavior is influenced by conditions, learning experiences and outcomes can be controlled intentionally The Role of Memory: The ability to recall information is due to foundational knowledge that is built through scaffolding and structural pattern (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2016). How Learning Occurs: Learning is defined as "habit formation" (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2016, p. 96). Learning takes place when a response is elicited from a stimulus (Ornstein & Hunkin, 2016). Environments facilitate learning (Peters-Burton, 2016).

Types of Learning: Associative learning correlates with behaviorism because it requires the learner to make connections between prior knowledge and new. This learning type also requires learners to "respond to information from the environment" (Gould, 2023).

Cognitivism

Major Theorists: Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, Dewey, Tyler, Taba, Bruner, Lawrence Kohlberg, Benjamin Bloom, Lev Vygotsky, J.P. Guilford, Gagne

Major Characteristics: Focus on the structure of the brain, learning results from interactions, focus on how knowledge is organized, cognitive development stages The Role of Memory: Cognitivism focuses on short term and long term memory. Short term memory is immediate and in the moment, while long term is stored and retrievable prior knowledge. How Learning Occurs: Utilizing the two memory types, learners use working (short term) memory to process and sort new information, and "chunk" processsed information into meaningful categories- "increas[ing] the capacity of their working memory" (ornsetien & Hunkins, 2016, p. 104). Long term memory has unlimited potential as learners transfer data from working memory to long term storage.

Learning Types: Procedural learning most aligns with cognitivism because it involves the compilation of prior knowledge into skills (Gould, 2023). This happens chronologically, in stages, as Piaget illuminates in the stages of cognitive development.

Perspective

Major Theorists: Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Reuven Feuerstein, Robert Ennis, Matthew Lipman, Robert Sternberg

Major Characteristics: distinguishes between knowledge and learning, learner is actively involved in their own learning/student engagement, "learner must internalize and reshape" (Ornstein & Hunkin, 2016, p. 113) information, metacognition The Role of Memory: In constructivism, "the student connects new learning with already-existing knowledge" (Ornstein & Hunkin, 2016, p. 114). How Learning Occurs: The use of metacognition-awareness of thinking structure and process- allows students to decipher where they can obtain new knowledge and how to use it.

Constructivism

Learning Types: Metacognition is highly emphasized in constructivism, as learners are encouraged to be fully aware of their learning processes and to transform their information in order to apply it across different scenarios. Inductive reasoning also strongly correlates with this learning theory because it is heavily reliant on the learner to generate their own solutions. (Gould, 2023)